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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24597376">Henry (Amphiptere Naga)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTravelerWrites/pseuds/TheTravelerWrites'>TheTravelerWrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Commissions [25]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Amphiptere, Best Friends to Lovers, Exophilia, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Monster Boyfriend, Mutual Pining, Naga, Sex Cam worker, Size Difference, cam model, demisexual, graysexual</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:22:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,469</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24597376</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTravelerWrites/pseuds/TheTravelerWrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A woman moves back to her home town after an online friend offers her both a job and a place to stay. She accidentally learns an interesting secret about him that she tries, and fails, to hide. Please leave feedback!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Female Human/Male Naga</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Commissions [25]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1236809</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>144</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You stretched at your desk and sighed. “Well, Henry, I should get to bed,” You said. “I’ve got a lot of packing to do tomorrow.”</p><p>“<em>Dude, I can’t wait to see you in person finally!</em>” He said over the headset. “I’m so excited you’re coming to work in the store.”</p><p>“Me too!” You said. “It’ll be nice to see you in person! And I can’t thank you enough for giving me a job and a place to stay. Working at the grocery store was crushing my soul.”</p><p>“<em>I get that,</em>” He told you. “<em>I felt so out of place when I worked construction. I’m so glad I decided to save up to open the flower shop.</em>”</p><p>“You and me both,” You said. “Flower arranging is something I love to do. I about fell out of my chair when you said you owned a shop.”</p><p>“<em>Two more days and you’ll get to see it yourself,</em>” He said with a laugh. “<em>Go get some sleep. I’ll see you soon.</em>”</p><p>“Night, Henry,” You said, smiling to yourself as you logged off. You had met Henry while gaming almost five years ago now, and he had been one of the best friends you’d ever had. At first you just played together, but after about a year, the two of you had exchanged phone numbers, and since then you texted each other constantly and called each other once a week. Despite that, you had never actually seen what he looked like. You didn’t mind; maybe he was body-shy. You could understand that.</p><p>When you finally quit the soul-suck of a job in the back of a grocery, he was quick to offer you a place in his shop, in your own home town, no less, as well as one of the apartments above the store. You’d been homesick since you moved away with your mom when you were younger, so the idea of going back had massive appeal. Combined with your dream job and working with your best friend, it was like everything you ever wanted was just falling into place.</p><p>That Saturday, you loaded every single thing you owned into a rental truck and headed to Santa Barbara, excited to start a new life and meet your best friend for the first time.</p><p>You pulled up to Henry’s Floral Arrangements later that evening just before sundown, driving nearly nine hours straight with only a few breaks for food, gas, and bathroom visits. You pulled out your phone and clicked Henry’s number.</p><p>“<em>Hey, are you here?</em>” He asked excitedly.</p><p>“Yep!” You said, stepping out of the truck. “I pulled up just now. Are you in the shop?”</p><p>“<em>Yeah, I’m coming out! Be right there.</em>” And he hung up.</p><p>You giggled at his enthusiasm and walked around the truck just as he came out of the shop, his face as excited as a brand new puppy with a brand new toy, and you stopped in your tracks.</p><p>He. Was. <em>Beautiful.</em></p><p>He was a naga, but a rarer breed than average: an amphiptere. He had short, two pronged horns on his head and large wings on his back. His horns were teal, and the feathers of his wings were teal and ocean blue with black accents on the outside and grey on the inside, like the skin of his torso. His snake skin was teal and ocean blue as well, with giant black rings lining his back. His eyes were as golden as his nipple rings. He had lovely tattoos on his arms, neck, and back of waves and geometric shapes. He was lean and muscular, and had short black hair. He wore no clothing, so every inch of his glorious body was on full display.</p><p>You stood staring at him, unable to speak, as he slithered up to you. Oh god. This was not a possibility you had entertained. Living next to your best friend had sounded like a dream. But now… oh no, this was a disaster. How could you be <em>attracted</em> to him? You<em> never </em>felt attraction, not ever! Of all the times, of all the <em>people</em>, Henry had to be… <em>this!</em> This lovely specimen of a naga, and the best friend you’d ever had! <em>What </em>were you <em>going</em> to <em>do</em>?!</p><p>“You alright?” He asked, tilting his head and lowering himself down to look at your face.</p><p>You blinked and smiled breathlessly. “Yes! Yes, I’m great! It’s so nice to finally meet you!”</p><p>“You too!” He reached out for a hug and you walked into it. His skin was cool and smooth to the touch. He smelled like peonies. “Come in, come in, let me show you around!”</p><p>“What about unpacking?” You asked.</p><p>“Oh, leave that till tomorrow,” He said. “Let’s order a pizza and eat in the shop.”</p><p>You grinned. “That actually sounds amazing.”</p><p>“Come on!” He held out his hand and took yours and pulled you into the shop.</p><p>Oh, it was incredible. It had just crested into the middle of spring and the seasonal flowers were exploding all over the place. Color was everywhere. You closed your eyes and just breathed in the fragrances.</p><p>“Have I died?” You asked, your eyes still closed. “I’ve died, haven’t I?”</p><p>He laughed. “I hope not, you just got here.” He picked up his cell phone from the counter. “Pepperoni and pineapple on thin crust, right?”</p><p>“Yep!” You said, sitting at the counter, your eye catching on the decorative cherry blossom bonzai tree that you’d sent him for Christmas two years ago. You weren’t sure if he’d even like it, much less have kept it, but there it was, right next to the register where everyone could see it. It gave you a warm feeling in your chest.</p><p>He took you to the second floor, where there were two apartments, one on either side. You couldn’t help but notice one half of the stairs was covered with a ramp, likely to make it easier for Henry to get to the second story.</p><p>He led you to the apartment on the right and opened the door. It was a modest place but comfortable, and from the smell it seemed like it was recently deep cleaned and freshly painted in a pretty holly-green color with blush pink accents. There was a vase with all your favorite flowers spilling out of it on the kitchen table. It was mostly furnished with older but functional furniture, so you hadn’t needed to bring any heavy wardrobes or mattresses or anything, thankfully. Most of what you had in your old place was junk anyway.</p><p>“I love it,” You told Henry. “And I love the flowers.”</p><p>“I thought it would be a nice touch,” He said, holding his arm almost shyly. “I wanted you to feel comfortable.”</p><p>“I feel more comfortable here than I did in the two years I spent in my last place,” You said truthfully. “You know, we can leave the unpacking for tomorrow, but can we go down and get my rig and gear and hook it up while we wait for the pizza? It’s the only thing I have that I don’t want to leave in a truck overnight.”</p><p>“I get that,” He said.</p><p>The two of you managed to get your PC, laptop, gaming gear, and computer desk up the stairs in one trip. There was a flat screen TV on the wall of the living room to which you hooked up your PC. You ran a diagnostic as Henry heard the buzzer from the door and rushed down to get the pizza. Then the two of you spent an incredible evening eating pizza, watching comedies on Netflix, and solidifying the strength of your friendship.</p><p>You <em>were</em> comfortable, more so than you had ever been with anyone. Five years of talking to him was wonderful, but being close, seeing his smile, hearing his laugh and the way his eyes crinkled when he did was pure magic.</p><p>Magic that you didn’t want to ruin by being weird or creepy just because you suddenly felt attracted to him. Would he be weirded out by the fact that your brain turned into goo the moment you saw him? Would he think it was just because of his looks? You didn’t want that.</p><p>And you didn’t want to fuck up what was already an amazing relationship. Hell, meeting him in person and hanging out with him had already been a huge test of your friendship; working with him and living next to him would be an even greater one. You didn’t want to complicate it even further with an, in all likelihood, one-sided attraction.</p><p>By the time the pizza was gone and he headed back to his apartment for bed, you’d already decided to put the attraction or any notion of a relationship beyond friends out of your head.</p><p>But by<em> God</em>, he was beautiful.</p><p>You sort of jumped into the deep end when you started in the shop: prom season was just beginning, so you spent weeks making corsages and lapel pins. Henry thankfully spared you from having to deal with spoiled teenagers, entitled moms, and annoyed jocks dragged in by their girlfriends. Henry seemed well practiced at fielding angry customers who couldn’t make up their mind.</p><p>After work, the two of you often ate dinner together, either in his place or yours. Even though you were usually exhausted at the end of the day, you still played games together at least four times a week from your respective apartments, talking to each other over headsets even though you were probably only two walls and twenty feet apart. Sometimes you took your laptop to his apartment and played at the same desk.</p><p>It went on that way for months. It was amazing and you treasured every minute you got to spend with him. Despite putting the idea of dating him away in the back of your head, it was easy to pretend like it was just the two of you, together, against the world</p><p>After prom season ended, business slowed dramatically. You weren’t as tired in the evenings, so when you weren’t playing games with Henry, you did a little writing. You were too shy to let anyone read it, even Henry, but it still felt good to have a creative outlet.</p><p>One night, as you were writing, you heard Henry’s voice over your gaming headset on the desk. The two of you had quit playing over an hour ago, so you put it on to see if he needed anything.</p><p>“You alright, Henry? Are you back online?”</p><p>He didn’t respond, so you thought maybe you were just hearing things, but as you went to pull your headset off, you heard him say, “<em>I’m glad to see you again. I’ve missed you.</em>” The sound of his voice was distant, like he didn’t have his headset on.</p><p>Did he have company? His voice sounded silky and sultry, a tone you’d never heard before, and you wondered briefly if he had a girlfriend, or boyfriend. Or whatever. He’d never mentioned anything like that to you, but you weren’t his mom; he was allowed to have private things he didn’t share with other people. You did, after all.</p><p>Still, the idea that he was in a relationship cut a little deeper than you would have liked.</p><p>You heard another voice, but it was strangely robotic sounding, like it was coming through a speaker, and you couldn’t quite make out what the other person was saying. Whoever they were, they sounded male. Maybe he was in a long distance relationship?</p><p>“<em>Mm, I love it when you talk to me like that,</em>” Henry said, a sexy lilt in his voice. “<em>Tell me what you’d like me to do. I could touch myself. Would you like that?</em>”</p><p>You blushed and your heart began to race. You shouldn’t be listening to this, you knew that. It was private and none of your business. But… you couldn’t take the headset off. You wanted to hear this. You wanted him to talk to <em>you</em> that way. Maybe through this person, vicariously, you could have an intimate moment with him. It may be the only chance you ever got.</p><p>You heard him moan over the headset, and a sparkling heat filled your body. You bit your lip at the thrill you felt, but you were unable to move, like a deer in headlights. There was a dangerous quality to this, the idea of getting caught listening in terrified you.</p><p>You heard the person on the computer say something, but you couldn’t understand them.</p><p>Henry responded, “<em>Of course I will. I know how much you like that… mmm, that feels so good.</em>”</p><p>Henry’s moaning over the headset made you feel both exhilarated and astonished. You felt like you could listen to him moaned for hours.</p><p>Henry grunted sharply and repeatedly, then gasped for a minute before speaking again.</p><p>“<em>That was wonderful,</em>” Henry said. “<em>It always is with you.” </em>The other person said something you couldn’t understand, and Henry answered, <em>“Oh, I’m afraid we don’t have time for that, darling. Our date is almost over. If you’d like to purchase a ten minute extension, you can donate an additional five hundred tokens, or you can schedule another date from any of the open slots on the main website. You know I’m always happy to spend time with you</em>.”</p><p>You sat up in your seat, confused. Tokens? Website? What was he talking about?</p><p>There were more words you could hear, and Henry tutted. “<em>Aww, are you sure?</em>” He pouted. “<em>Well, alright. I hope you won’t make me wait long, darling. See you soon.</em>”</p><p>There was some tapping on his keyboard, and there was a power-down sound. Henry sighed and you could hear him slither out of his office, closing the door behind him.</p><p>You sat for a moment, trying to wrap your head around what you’d heard. Was he getting paid to jerk off for people? You opened a web browser and typed “amphiptere cam model” into the search engine.</p><p>You knew amphiptere nagas were rare, of course, so you weren’t surprised to only have found two results. You <em>were </em>surprised to find Henry’s face on one of the profiles, wearing beautiful make up and a sexy underbust corset with matching opera gloves. You clicked it, and realized he was both very expensive and highly sought after, considering all of his five weekly slots were already filled for the next two months.</p><p>Henry was a cam model. And he was apparently very good at it.</p><p>You put a hand to your forehead, stunned. What was happening right now? This was something you could never have anticipated. He was hot, of course, but he always seemed like a shy, down-to-earth kind of guy to you, even after meeting him. Who knew he had this in him? You weren’t judging, it was just surprising.</p><p>You didn’t manage to get much sleep that night, and when you did, you dreamt of being on the other end of that screen and woke in a sweat.</p><p>The next morning, you stood in the shower with your thoughts in a roil. Should you tell him you know? Would he be upset with you? Probably; listening in was a huge breach of both privacy and trust. Oh, god, what had you done? How were you supposed to act around him now? He’d know something was wrong; you could never hide your emotions well and he knew you better than anyone. Was it too late to live in a cave and cut ties with society altogether?</p><p>No, there was no internet in caves. <em>Fuck.</em></p><p>You couldn’t avoid him forever; you were due downstairs for work. You could tell him that you were sick, but knowing him, he’d shut down the shop for the day to take care of you. He was so damn sweet.</p><p><em>No, </em>You said, mentally slapping yourself. <em>Don’t get distracted by his adorableness! This is a crisis!</em></p><p>You got out of the shower and started brushing out your hair, your stomach in knots. A knock at the door made you jump clean out of your towel. Throwing on your robe, you went to answer it. Henry was standing there with a bag and coffee, and his eyes widened when he saw your bathrobe.</p><p>“Oh, sorry, I just came to bring some breakfast. Felt like treating you a little.”</p><p>You swallowed a lump in your throat and smiled. “Thanks, this is awesome. I’ll get dressed and meet you down in the shop. You’re the best.”</p><p>He gave you a full, sharp-toothed grin and snaked his way downstairs, leaving you to grip the door to keep from falling to your knees. Did he have to be so kind? He was the <em>worst</em>!</p><p>You met him downstairs and tried to be normal through breakfast, but all you could think of was the way he moaned last night and tried to keep the blush off your face. Work wasn’t any better, you had all of ten customers that day, so you spent most of it talking to Henry and daydreaming about him calling you <em>darling</em>. It was all you could do to hold it together.</p><p>After closing the shop, he asked if you wanted to have dinner and a game at his place, but you declined, saying you were tired. He seemed concerned but didn’t press it, and you were able to escape upstairs.</p><p>You made yourself some tea to try and settle your nerves, stress-eating girl scout cookies straight from the box as you waited for the water to boil. Was it going to be like this forever? This was torture.</p><p>Another knock at the door startled you into dropping your cookies.</p><p>“Fuck!” You hissed at yourself as you bent to pick up a box. “Get your shit together!”</p><p>Henry was at the door. He had a bag from a deli.</p><p>“I brought you soup,” He said. “You seemed like you weren’t feeling well today. Is anything wrong?”</p><p>You felt incredibly guilty, staring at that bag for a solid minute, unable to talk.</p><p>“Hey,” He said, frowning and squinting into your eyes. “What’s up? Talk to me. What’s wrong?”</p><p>“I’m so sorry, Henry,” You said without thinking.</p><p>“Sorry?” He said. “For what? What happened?”</p><p>You were having a hard time articulating your thoughts. You hadn’t meant to say sorry, and once it slipped out, your mind blanked.</p><p>“Look, can I come in?” He asked plaintively. “Something is obviously wrong. I want to help.”</p><p>You scrubbed your face. “Okay.”</p><p>He followed you in and laid the soup on the table. “So… tell me. What’s going on?”</p><p>“I don’t even know how to say it,” You said, looking around helplessly. Your eyes fell on your headset. You picked it up and listened to it, and you could hear the fan from his office running. “Here,” You said, handing it to him. “Listen.”</p><p>He put the headset on, frowning with confusion.</p><p>“Do you hear anything?” You asked.</p><p>“I think that’s the fan, right?”</p><p>“Yeah, from your office,” You said.</p><p>He laughed as he took it off. “I’m an idiot, I must have forgot to disconnect last night after we were playing.”</p><p>“Right, it was active last night. <em>All </em>last night. I could hear you.”</p><p>His face went from confusion to blank shock, his mouth hanging open.</p><p>“...oh,” He said quietly. “Oh, god.”</p><p>“I’m so sorry,” You said. “I shouldn’t have listened. I should have taken it off and ignored it. I’m so, so sorry.”</p><p>There was a pause. “How long did you listen?”</p><p>“I think it was the whole thing. I heard you… finish.” You blushed just thinking about it.</p><p>“That was a thirty minute session,” He said, confusion back on his face. “Why did you listen so long?”</p><p>You looked away and bit your lip, unable to meet his eyes.</p><p>“Did you… enjoy it?” He asked. He sounded almost hopeful.</p><p>You couldn’t speak, but you nodded once.</p><p>“Really?” You heard a smile in his voice, and you managed to look up. He had a goofy, sappy grin on his face. “You don’t think it’s gross or anything like that?”</p><p>You shook your head. “No. I’m curious, though. Why do you do it?”</p><p>“I only do it during the off seasons,” He said. “The first year was really hard for the store and I almost lost the shop. I got into camming to make ends meet, but the money was so good I just continued to do it when business is really slow. I’ve been able to save a lot of money this way. I was even thinking of opening a second location, and I think at the end of this season, I’ll have enough.” He looked very shy. “You really don’t mind it?”</p><p>You shook your head fervently. “No, not at all.” You looked at his earnest face. He didn’t seem angry, and while you were relieved, you also felt inquisitive. “What’s it like? Does it feel weird?”</p><p>“It did at first,” He admitted. “But it’s normal now. It’s actually fun, especially getting ready and putting on the clothes and stuff. I don’t really get to wear that stuff out, so it’s the only time I get to feel… I don’t know, fancy.”</p><p>You smiled softly. “I think I get that.”</p><p>“Actually,” He said, rubbing his neck. “I was going to record a free promo to put up on the website tonight. Do you want to help me do my makeup? I sort of self-taught myself, but I can never get the eyeliner right.”</p><p>“Oh! Yeah, of course, sure!” You said. “I really liked that corset I saw you in.”</p><p>He narrowed his eyes at you and smirked. “Did you Google me?”</p><p>“I had to,” You said. “Wouldn’t you?”</p><p>He laughed. “I guess.” He took your hand and led you toward the door and his apartment. “Come on. I’ve always wanted to have someone help with this. I’m never sure which colors compliment my skin.”</p><p>“Wait, let me grab my makeup bag,” You said, running back to your bathroom, snatching it up, and returning. “Okay, let’s go.”</p><p>Helping a guy with his makeup counted as a date, right?</p><p>He took you to his bedroom, which you’d never been. There wasn’t any furniture, not even a bed. Instead there was a huge nest of fluffy pillows and soft blankets which took up most of the floor space. He had a large walk-in closet where there was a hidden vanity with fairy lights around the mirror. The hangers had various corsets, fishnet shirts, and gloves. There was another desk that seemed to be a large jewelry case.</p><p>“This must have cost a fortune,” You said, impressed. You wished you had the confidence to wear some of this.</p><p>“A small one,” He told you. “Sometimes in camming, you have to spend to make money. The customers like variety; it’s why I record a new free promo every week. I don’t want my patrons to get bored with me.”</p><p>“Who could ever get bored with you?” You blurted without thinking.</p><p>You blushed. He blushed.</p><p>“Uh… I don’t have any chairs,” He said. “But you can sit on my tail, if you like.”</p><p>“Are you sure?” You asked, looking at his tail as it made a hump for you to rest on. “Won’t I hurt you?”</p><p>“No, no, not at all,” He said. “Please. I want you to be comfortable.”</p><p>“Really, it’s okay, I’ll stand,” You said, unable to even imagine sitting on his beautiful tail. “Now, let’s see. We’ll wash your face first and then we’ll start on your make-up. What about a gold lip? That’ll make your eyes pop.”</p><p>“Ooh, that’s a good idea,” He said. “I just bought some new shades recently, and I think there’s a gold in there.”</p><p>Applying his makeup for him was a stressful experience. You were eye to eye with him, so close you could feel his breath on your skin. His lips were inches away from your own, and you were having trouble not dwelling on that fact. He was cold-blooded, and therefore generated no heat, but you wondered if he could feel yours at this distance, if he enjoyed it or was made uncomfortable by it.</p><p>You did also notice, though, that his tail had wrapped around the two of you twice. He let his arms dangle, but you noticed the muscles twitching a few times and asked yourself if you might be making him self-conscious. After all, you were the only person in his real life who knew about all this.</p><p>“Makeup done,” You said. “You look amazing. I wish I could pull off a look this daring.”</p><p>“I bet you could,” He said with a smile, looking at you fondly. “Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen you done up before. I’ll have to take you somewhere really nice so that I can see what that looks like.”</p><p>Again he blushed, even through the makeup, and pressed his lips together.</p><p>You didn’t answer that statement, trying not to read too much into it, and instead looked over at his vast array of cute garments. “How about that gold and blue underbust with the Victorian scrolling pattern? I think it would look good with your makeup.”</p><p>“Oh, yes, that’ll work nicely,” He said, grinning. “And that shrug with those gloves. I usually work a little bit of a striptease into these promos.”</p><p>You cleared your throat. “You… uh… you’ll have to let me go,” You said, gesturing at his tail.</p><p>“Oh!” He jumped and unspooled, so to speak. “Sorry. Have you ever laced a corset before?”</p><p>“Yeah, once or twice. I’ve had friends who’ve worn them before. Would you like help?”</p><p>“Yes, please,” He said. He lifted his arms to let you reach around him and position the corset, gingerly moving the feathers of his wings out of the way so that you didn’t crush them. “Thank you for this. I’ve never gotten finished so fast before. I should ask you to help all the time.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t mind,” You said, pulling the strings taut. “This was fun.”</p><p>“I’m glad you think so, too,” He said, looking over his shoulder. “If you don’t have any plans after I’m done filming and editing the video, would you like to come back over and help me take all of it off?”</p><p>You looked at him and blushed.</p><p>“I didn’t mean that in a dirty way,” He said hurriedly. “It’s just nice having someone who knows and I can talk to about it.”</p><p>“I get that,” You said as he pulled on the gloves. “Are you ready to record?”</p><p>“Yeah,” He said. “Thanks for helping.”</p><p>“Sure,” You told him. “I has happy to. I’ll let you get to it, then.”</p><p>He nodded and you saw yourself out.</p><p>When you got back to your apartment and sat down at your gaming desk, you sighed heavily, the thoughts of how good Henry looked revolving in your mind. You were both extremely attracted to him and a bit jealous that he looked better than you in all that stuff. It actually made you laugh a little bit.</p><p>“<em>Welcome back,</em>” You heard Henry say, and you looked down at the headset laying on your desk.</p><p>Oh jeez, he left his headset plugged in again. God you loved him, but he was such an idiot sometimes.</p><p>“<em>I’m glad you could join me. I’m hoping your having a lovely day.</em>” You heard the soft <em>shhff</em> of him taking off one of the gloves. “<em>I always love seeing your face. I love the way your hands move. I love the smell of your shampoo when it mixes with your perfume. I love that soft little smile that you get when you arrange flowers across the shop from me.</em>”</p><p>…what? What did he just say?</p><p>“<em>I hope you’re listening. I’ve tried so hard to say this to you when we’re face to face, but I can never seem to find the words. This way, I can say what I want. This way, if you don’t hear me, then I haven’t risked our friendship, and if you do hear and don’t feel the same, you can ignore it, and nothing has to change. But… if you do feel the same… come back. Please. This show is for you and no one else. I’ll be waiting for you.</em>” You heard the headset being pulled off and laid down on the desk.</p><p>You stood up and did the same. He couldn’t mean you, could he? There was no way. Stunned, you walked back toward your front door and opened it, looking across the hall at Henry’s door.</p><p>It was cracked open.</p><p>With your heart in your throat and breathing like you just ran a mile, you pushed it open and walked slowly toward his office, only to find it empty. The headset was laying on the desk and the camera was off. Looking down the hallway, you saw the light in his bedroom was on and the door was also cracked. Swallowing hard, you walked down to his room and opened the door.</p><p>He was laying there, curled up around himself, laying with his head on his arms, looking a little forlorn.</p><p>“Henry?” You asked.</p><p>He popped up immediately, his eyes widening. “You came.” He whispered. “You actually came!” Before you could respond, he rushed up and snatched you off the ground, hugging you tight. “Does this mean you want me, too? The way I want you, I mean.”</p><p>“I… yes,” You said. “I just didn’t want you to think it was because of… well… all this.”</p><p>“I don’t care about that, I’m just so happy,” He said, kissing your cheek. “I’ve been in love with you forever, even before we met in person. I was just scared that if you found out about my second job, you’d be disgusted. Knowing you don’t mind it gave me the courage to try and confess.”</p><p>“I’m glad you did,” You replied, hugging him tightly around the neck. “I’d never have been able to do it.”</p><p>He pulled back and looked at you. “Can I kiss you, please?”</p><p>You laughed at the absurdity, but you appreciated that he asked first. He was thoughtful like that. You nodded, and he didn’t waste time, pressing his lips to yours hard enough that you could feel the fangs behind them.</p><p>His kisses became hungry, and he gripped your clothes. “I… um… don’t want to assume,” He said breathlessly between kisses. “But… um…” He looked over at his bed-nest, and regarded you with a questioning look.</p><p>“It’s okay,” You replied. “I’ve wanted this for a long time, too.”</p><p>He snaked over to the nest and lay you down in it, unbuttoning your shirt.</p><p>“Should I take off the corset for you?” You asked him.</p><p>“I can leave it on, if you like,” he said seductively, kissing your neck and leaving a trail of sparkling gold lipstick on your skin.</p><p>“Would that be uncomfortable?” You asked.</p><p>“Not at all,” He replied, his kisses moving lower. “I want to look good for you.”</p><p>“I’m not a client, Henry,” You said. “You don’t have to work so hard to impress me. I’m already in love with you.”</p><p>“That’s good to hear,” He said, his lips against your breast. “But it’s not about wanting to impress you and I don’t see you as a client. I see you as the woman I want to be with. I should put more effort into my time with you than anyone else. I want you to know you’re special to me.”</p><p>“You’ve done more than enough to make me feel special,” You said. “I want to return the favor.”</p><p>Your hand went into his hair as his tongue swirled around your nipple, and the lower half of his tail moved up around your head. When you turned to look at it, you saw a swollen, puckering slit, normally hidden underneath him as he moved, that he now revealed to you. You pressed your finger along the line, and he moaned against your skin. One of his hands reached down into your pants, into your underwear, and touched you.</p><p>You gasped softly at his fingers tickling your slit, you doubled your efforts on his own, moving your head so that your tongue could reach it and licking a slow stripe upward. A strangled, broken grunt came from him.</p><p>He continued to undress you slowly and kiss your body, touching you and teasing. You writhed underneath him while sucking at the slit on his body, watching as a bright golden organ slowly peaked its way out, followed by another. You were startled at first, but it was fascinating to watch. You took one in your hand and sucked on the tip of the other, reveling in the sounds that he made.</p><p>His lips finally came back up to meet yours, the need in his body evident as he lined one of his cocks up to you, the other resting against your clit. He rose up to look at you.</p><p>“Still okay?”</p><p>You nodded. “It’s okay.”</p><p>He began to push himself inside you, kissing your forehead and cheek as he did so. You gripped his shoulders and held on as he fully seated himself, his second member resting between you. The slit was farther down on his tail, about halfway down, so the position was a little awkward at first, but the two of you pulled each other close and found a rhythm that suited you.</p><p>He lifted you up easily, his tail between your legs, undulating into and out of you, and all you could do was hang on for the ride. You moaned, held securely in his arms, his wings flaring out behind him, the light of his bedroom lamp filtering through the feathers like sunlight through clouds.</p><p>“I’m so close,” He gasped, picking you up as a flood gushed from the cock you had been riding, splashing against your leg and his tail, before he moved you onto the second one and kept going.</p><p>“That’s handy,” You said, also gasping.</p><p>“When this one is done, the other one will be ready again,” He said as you bounced on him.</p><p>“Oh, god,” You wheezed. “What have I gotten myself into?”</p><p>He laughed breathlessly and kissed you again, hitting harder and faster. You felt your own wave coming fast and you began to moan and whimper, not able to control the sounds you made.</p><p>Finally, you came, and the rush of ecstasy filled your mind. You lay your head on his shoulder as you dangled in his grasp bonelessly, his tail still moving inside you slowly.</p><p>After giving you a moment to recover, he sped up again, and you came again. It might have been hours before the two of you found a stopping point, or more precisely, and exhaustion point. He lay you down in the nest, corset and makeup still on, and the two of you slept in a sweaty pile.</p><p>The next morning, he woke up with the makeup smeared across his face and a serious case of bed-head. You laughed.</p><p>“What’s funny?” He asked sleepily, smiling at you from the coil of his tail.</p><p>“I think I should have taken you up on the offer to help you dress down,” You said. “Let’s get that taken care of.”</p><p>You helped him out of his corset and the two of you stepped into the bathroom, three-fourths of which was just the shower. Stepping into the shower, you soaped him down and washed his long body, and he did the same for you. The two of you couldn’t help kissing and giggling and cuddling the whole time.</p><p>He ordered in breakfast as you dashed across the hall to fetch some clothes. When you got back, you said, “You didn’t get to record your promo.”</p><p>“I can do it tonight,” He said. “Will you help me with it?”</p><p>“Of course,” You said. “I’ll be your manager or assistant or whatever you’d like to call me.”</p><p>“I’d like to call you my girlfriend, actually,” He said with a smile.</p><p>“I like the sound of that,” You replied, hugging him around the waist. “Partners in all things.”</p><p>“I like that, too. Speaking of which, I think I might be able to open that second location sooner than I thought.”</p><p>“Why’s that?”</p><p>“Well, if you live with me in my apartment, we can rent out your apartment, and the extra income will help. Two birds, one stone.”</p><p>You smiled. “Sounds good to me. As long as I’m with you.”</p><p>“Always.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After two and a half months, Henry finally had the money he needed to open up the second location even without renting out the opposite apartment, and the two of you were scouting for the new place. You’d decided that you would run one of them and he would run the other. You were sad that you wouldn’t be working together anymore, but the two of you lived together now, so at least you’d be able to spend time together at home. Henry was also talking about hiring on additional employees if the second location did well, so the two of you wouldn’t have to work so hard.</p><p>“What do you think of this place?” He asked. “It’s a little small for what I was thinking, but it’s right next door to a popular wedding venue. We could do special deals for the weddings.”</p><p>“That would generate a lot of business, even in the slow season,” You replied. “And it wouldn’t matter if it was small if we had two locations. We could just deliver what we didn’t have here from the main building. It’s only ten minutes away.”</p><p>“Right,” He agreed. “So? Is it a yes to this one?”</p><p>“Well, it’s your decision, babe,” You said. “It’s your money, your business.”</p><p>“And you’re my girlfriend,” He said, pulling you into his arms. “And my business partner. You input matters to me. We make all decisions together.”</p><p>You smiled at him fondly. “God, I love you.”</p><p>He grinned down at you. “I love you, too. So?”</p><p>You looked around one more time and said, “It’s a yes. I like this place. It’s got character.”</p><p>“Right? It’s charming. We can work with charming. I’ll pay the deposit on Monday.” He picked you up and swung you around, as well as he could with his long tail in the way. “I’m so excited! Owning my own shop was my dream, and I never expected to be able to expand!”</p><p>“I’m so happy for you, babe,” you said, kissing him. “For both of us.”</p><p>He kissed you back twice and set you back down on your feet. “So, you’re still up for this weekend? Meeting the parents and everything?”</p><p>“Of course, I’m dying to meet them,” You said. “Do… they know about your side job?”</p><p>“No, they don’t,” He said firmly. “And I’d like to keep it that way, please. I mean, you know I’m not ashamed of my job, but it’s still my <em>parents</em>. All parents know their kids jerk off and stuff, but they definitely don’t want to talk about it.”</p><p>“This is <em>slightly</em> different, don’t you think?”</p><p>He shrugged. “It’s still embarrassing to tell them that I take my clothes off for money, even if there’s no touching involved.”</p><p>“Well, they won’t hear it from me, then,” You said. “Your secret is safe.”</p><p>“Thank you,” He said, smiling. He took your hand and led you out of the vacant building and toward the bus stop. There was a bus for larger non-humans that came twice a day.</p><p>“Have you told them much about me?” You asked, sitting on the bench to wait.</p><p>“I never shut up about you,” Henry said ruefully. “I’ve been talking about you for years, even before we met. I think they knew I was in love with you before I did. My sister literally told me to shut up once, because I kept gushing about you.”</p><p>“That’s sweet,” You said.</p><p>“You don’t talk to your folks much, do you?” He asked.</p><p>“Not really,” You replied, sitting at the bus stop with him sidling up to coil next to you. “Lots of stuff went down when I left that my parents weren’t cool with, and they said a lot of things that I wasn’t cool with, so we’re just not cool with each other in general.”</p><p>“Hmm,” He said. “Well, my sister will like you.” His eyes narrowed. “That may not be a good thing. She keeps trying to steal my girlfriends.”</p><p>You laughed. “Well, she doesn’t have a chance. I’m over the moon for you.”</p><p>He grinned at you. “That’s good to hear.” He lay his head on your shoulder briefly. “I’m madly in love with you.”</p><p>“Yay,” You said softly, kissing the top of his head, careful not to stab yourself on his horns.</p><p>“Can we go home and have celebratory sex?” He asked.</p><p>“Absolutely. Then we’ll order dinner and play a round of Final Fantasy XIV.”</p><p>“It’s a date. I do have a cam session later tonight, though, so I have factor that in.”</p><p>“Oh, if that’s the case, we should wait on the sex,” You said, looking down the street and seeing the bus approach. You stood up. “You should be fresh for your clients. We can have all the boning we want afterward. Anything fancy planned?”</p><p>“Nope, just a show and share, standard stuff. But it’s a new client, so that’s typical. ”</p><p>“Have you dropped a client? You usually don’t take new ones unless one either stops buying slots or you ban someone.”</p><p>“One of my old patrons moved on, so I held an auction for his slots. The money from that auction was the final monetary push I needed for the new location,” He said, following you to the curb as the bus stopped in front of you.</p><p>“Well, thank you to that person,” You said with a laugh, getting up into the bus. Henry followed you.</p><p>After getting home, the two of you ordered some sushi and played video games. Around eight o’clock, he set the controller down.</p><p>“Time for the session?” You asked, powering down the game console.</p><p>“It will be soon. I need to get ready. Want to help out?”</p><p>“Always. That new purple bolero would look lovely, and we can put some spray glitter in your hair.”</p><p>“That shit takes forever to get out!” He whined.</p><p>“Yeah, but it looks so cute! And I’ll help you wash it out later.”</p><p>“Promise?”</p><p>“Yes, I promise,” You said. “Come on, I’ll get you all dressed up and looking pretty for your new client.”</p><p>“You’re the best, babe.”                 </p><p>You had gotten pretty adept at getting him ready for his shows quickly, and honestly it was a great bonding moment between the two of you. He stayed still and obedient like a puppy while you were doing in and he always looked like a total snack when he was done. Not that he didn’t normally, but the costumes were a great garnish.</p><p>When you were finished, you kissed him, said, “Have fun,” And left him to his work.</p><p>He’d moved his camming desk and rig to the bedroom so that the two of you could set up his and hers gaming stations in his old office, where the two of you spent a lot of time.</p><p>You’d just sat down to play some Among Us with friends when you realized that you’d left your phone in the bedroom. You swore at yourself for being so thoughtless. The number one rule was never interrupt a camming session, it could cost him clients if they found out he had a girlfriend. Some might even want you to participate, and that was not something you were up for.</p><p>But you also didn’t want your phone to ring while he was in a video chat. You were usually so careful, so this made you really mad at yourself. Henry couldn’t afford to lose customers right now, with opening the new location. He’d need every penny he could earn.</p><p>You knew he kept his Discord up when he was working, in case any emergencies arose and you could notify him, so you pulled it up and typed, &gt;<em>I forgot my phone in the bedroom. Can I come get it?</em></p><p>He typed back, &gt;<em>Sure, just try to be quiet, please.</em></p><p>You tip-toed to the bedroom and pushed the door open gingerly. Henry was talking to his new client playfully. He flicked his eyes over to you and gave you a quick wink before returning his attention to the screen.</p><p>Henry’s desk was circular and facing inward toward the wall, so there was be a solid background rather than showing his clients your bedroom. Your phone was on the nightstand next to the bed-nest, out of frame.</p><p>“So, tell me a little about yourself, sweetheart,” He said sultrily. “What do you like? What do you like having done to you?” Henry was wearing an earpiece through which the client responded. This prevented you from having to listen and the client from hearing you rattling around in the apartment. “Mmm, that sounds fun. You want to show me, or would you like me to show you first?”</p><p>You stealthed across the room and picked up your phone, turning it to silent. When you turned back around, Henry had removed the bolero jacket and was touching his chest suggestively and biting his lip.</p><p>“You look so pretty when you do that,” He said with a low-pitched growl in his voice.</p><p>Watching him in his element was… kinda hot. Instead of leaving, you sat down quietly on the bed-nest and watched him. He flicked his eyes over to you again for a millisecond, and you heard him typing.</p><p>&gt;<em>What are you doing?</em></p><p>&gt;<em>Admiring you. </em>You responded. <em>&gt;You look so sexy.</em></p><p>&gt;<em>You’re breaking the rule.</em></p><p>&gt;<em>Then tell me to leave.</em></p><p>You could tell he was suppressing a smirk, but he didn’t tell you to leave.</p><p>&gt;<em>Just be as quiet as possible and you can stay, just this once, </em>He texted you.</p><p>&gt;<em>Promise.</em></p><p>He continued the session with you reclining in the nest, watching him work. Normally in the first session with a new client, he didn’t go all the way, so to speak. It was more of a peep show and less of a full service. Usually it was a strip tease and some light touching to entice them to continue their subscription.</p><p>The way he was putting on a show for the camera, the exaggerated movements, the low, husky voice, the touching, the sly smirk on his lips, did things to your body. You squeezed your legs together and squirmed slightly, but he didn’t notice.</p><p>How much would he let you get away with, you wondered? Slowly, you let your hand slip into the sleep shorts you were wearing, spreading your legs a little.</p><p>This time he noticed. A minuscule flick of his eyes made them widen slightly, and he turned back to the keyboard while still engaging with the client.</p><p>&gt;<em>Stay quiet,</em> He said. &gt;<em>Don’t make a sound.</em></p><p>He lowered his lashes and took a covert look at you, and you nodded.</p><p>He continued with his flirty introduction and laid the flattery on thick to the client, while every once in a while stealing a glance at you. You rocked your pelvis against your hand, massaging your pearl and biting your wrist to keep silent, all while watching him. You saw him pull his tail around under the desk and began stroking his slit in circles, the heads of his dual cocks just starting to peek out.</p><p>Just as you were getting to your first orgasm, Henry said, “Well, darling, our time is up. I hope I’ll see you again. I had a wonderful time with you.” He dipped his head down and looked up through his eyelashes, pouting slightly. “Come back soon. Until then, you take care, okay darling? Good night and sweet dreams.”</p><p>You came hard, gripping the sheets in one hand as you struggled to stay quiet. Henry exited out of the video chat, tore his earpiece off and threw it onto the desk, and darted toward you, pulling your hand out of your shorts and over your head.</p><p>“You…” He said with a dark, gruff tone. “You have been very… very… bad.”</p><p>This was a new side to sweet, cuddly Henry. “And what will you do?” You taunted, feeling a little thrill up your spine.</p><p>Without warning, he flipped you onto your stomach and snatched your shorts and underwear off. He pushed himself into you, not in a way that hurt, but definitely hard and unceremonious. Since you had climaxed already and were a bit sensitive, it was almost sensory overload, but it was <em>so good</em>, and you gave yourself over to it.</p><p>He took both of your hands and held them behind your back with only one of his while he used the other to grip your hip to pull you harder against him.</p><p>“Don’t be quiet now,” He growled at you. “Make noise. Moan for me, scream for me, let me hear your voice.”</p><p>You were happy to obey, being a little louder than you normally were. You grunted and groaned as he pounded into you roughly, a way he’d never been with you before. He was always gentle and affectionate, and you loved it, but this was on another level. It was hot and passionate and wild, and you were enthralled. You loved Sweet Henry, but Feral Henry was incredible.</p><p>Henry came violently against you, growling, and withdrew, thrusting the second cock into you and going full-throttle again. You were used to Henry’s stamina by now, so you could hang with it. Another burst of pleasure crashed into your body, and you screamed his name.</p><p>“That’s a good girl,” He snarled into your ear.</p><p>A third orgasm, and then a fourth, and by the fifth, you were getting tired. He released one last shot inside you and let you go, collapsing next to you in the nest. You lay face down and gasped.</p><p>After a moment or two, he got up on his elbow and stroked your back.</p><p>“Are you okay? Do you need some water? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” He asked softly.</p><p>Ah. Sweet Henry was back. You loved Sweet Henry. He was the best.</p><p>“No, I’m okay, babe,” You turned your head to look at him. “What was that? You’ve never been like that with me before.”</p><p>“I don’t know,” He said, looking a little shocked at himself. “I’ve never been like that with anyone before. Was it bad?”</p><p>“No, on the contrary, it was amazing,” You replied, turning on your side to face him. “I was just playing with you, I didn’t know I’d bring that out.”</p><p>“Me neither,” He said ruefully, laughing self-consciously and scratching the back of his head. “You’re sure I didn’t hurt you?”</p><p>“I’d have said so if you did, you know that,” You said, reaching up to stroke his face. “I won’t sit in on sessions again, I know it’s bad for business. But… maybe we could roleplay Feral Henry one night. That was fun.”</p><p>He grinned wickedly at you, kissing the inside of your hand. “I look forward to it.”</p><p>That Sunday, the two of you took a trip across town to see his family. Despite living in the same city, you hadn’t actually met them yet. They traveled often for work, as they owned an advertising company and worked with businesses across the country. Their daughter, Henry’s older sister, was their secretary and did most of their scheduling.</p><p>Henry didn’t want to be an executive with the company and preferred to stand on his own two feet… so to speak. Thankfully, his family was understanding and didn’t object when he decided to follow his dreams instead of staying with the family business. After all, the advertisement company had been his parents’ dream.</p><p>You and Henry took a large-race cab service out to the richer end of the city, where his parents lived. They’re house had been built with nagas specifically in mind, so it had been built all on the ground level, but it was <em>huge</em>. There were at least six bedrooms, as far as you could tell.</p><p>Henry’s parents, Ruth and Richard, met you at the door. Ruth’s scales were a solid bright blue from waist to tail. Her skin was a burnished bronze and her eyes were gold in color. She had a long, lovely set of wings in blues and gold. She wore a long halter top in a deep brown that matched her tumbling hair and complemented her skin tone.</p><p>Richard, on the other hand, did not have wings and as such, wore a simple button up shirt. He was grey in color, both scales and skin, with black rings along his tail and grey horns jutting up from the top of his head out of his pitch black hair.</p><p>Naga women didn’t have mammary glands, since their diet at birth was strictly meat, transitioning to other foods as they aged, so nagas often didn’t feel the need to wear clothing. Henry didn’t typically wear clothing unless he was camming or in the shop, in which he wore a basic white t-shirt specially made with a panel in the back to accommodate his wings. Sometimes an apron, if he was feeling fancy. Otherwise, he went without clothes. Today, he went super posh with a <em>blue </em>t-shirt, since this was a special occasion and everything.</p><p>“Henry!” Ruth said, rushing out to meet her son. “You look so handsome!” She hugged her son tightly, their wings touching lightly. “And is this your girlfriend? She’s so lovely! Come and give me a hug, sweetie!”  </p><p>You walked into her muscular arms and she gave you a warm, motherly hug that felt really nice. Since you weren’t speaking to your own family, this was a type of touch you really missed.</p><p>“It’s so nice to meet you!” You said as you stepped away. “Henry has told me all about you.”</p><p>“Likewise!” She said, cupping your face. “Gosh, he’s talked about nothing else besides you for years!”</p><p>“Honey, don’t embarrass our son,” Richard said, coming out to shake your hand. “It is lovely to meet you at last.”</p><p>“You too, sir,” You replied.</p><p>“Oh, please, call me Richard. Come in, come in, dinner is almost ready,” He said, putting a hand behind your back, stopping just short of touching you, and ushered you inside.</p><p>You could smell a savory smell that made your mouth water as soon as you came inside. You followed Richard into the kitchen, where there was a large, high bar in place of a dinner table and a single barstool.</p><p>“We actually had to buy a chair!” Ruth said. “That was exciting. We did measurements and everything.”</p><p>Her excitement made you smile wide and feel a little shy. Henry grinned down at you and took your hand, leading you forward toward the barstool. You sat down and looked around the enormous, beautiful kitchen.</p><p>“Is she here yet?” A voice from the doorway said. Henry’s sister, Rea, entered unclothed, looking much like her brother but having her mother’s coloring.</p><p>“Rea, put on a shirt! We have company!” Ruth said.</p><p>“No, really, it’s okay, I’m used to Henry not wearing clothes, so it’s totally fine.” You hopped off the chair and went over to greet her and introduced yourself.</p><p>“I’m Rea, it’s great to meet you.” She looked you up and down. “You weren’t lying, Henry, she’s as hot as you described her.”</p><p>“Hey,” Henry said warningly, coming up behind you and hugging you close to his chest. “She’s taken.”</p><p>“For now,” Rea said to her brother, smiling slyly. He growled.</p><p>“Don’t fight,” Ruth said. “Come now, dinner is ready.”</p><p>Henry helped you pop back up on the stool and the naga family simply sat back on their tails. Dinner was rare steak and garden vegetables tossed in a homemade dressing and a dry white wine.</p><p>“Are you both amphiptere?” You asked Ruth and Richard.</p><p>“Yes,” Richard said. “But it’s less likely for the males to have wings than the females. Even among our own kind, Henry is rare.”</p><p>“Aww,” You said, patting his cheek. “That doesn’t surprise me one little bit. He’s special.”</p><p>“In the head, maybe,” Rea said, shoving a large piece of steak in her mouth. Henry shot her a dry look, but his mouth was too full to retort.</p><p>“Well, I’m glad he finally found someone who understands and appreciates his value,” Ruth said. “We were beginning to think he’d never get married.”</p><p>Henry choked on his wine, spitting it across the table. His parents and sister had to shield their plates.</p><p>“Mom, we’ve only been dating for a few months, it’s too early to be talking about marriage.”</p><p>“Oh, please, it’s inevitable, you’ve been in love with her for years!”</p><p>“Yes, but she wasn’t aware of that until recently!” He responded. “This is all new for her.”</p><p>“But you love her, right?”</p><p>“Mom, for the love of God,” Henry groaned, massaging his temples. “Yes, I love her, but it’s still basically the beginning of our relationship. You’re going to scare her off.”</p><p>“Well, what do you think?” Ruth asked, turning to you. “You’d marry him, wouldn’t you?”</p><p>You opened your mouth, taken aback.“I…”</p><p>“You don’t need to answer that,” Henry said. “Mom, really, don’t make her feel uncomfortable. Neither of us are thinking about marriage right now. Can we please talk about something else?”</p><p>“Mom, really, leave Henry alone,” Rea said.</p><p>“Alright, alright, I’m just saying--”</p><p>“Honey,” Richard said stiffly. “Please.”</p><p>Ruth sniffed and sighed, but fell silent. What followed was a rather awkward dinner.</p><p>As the two of you were leaving, Ruth apologized for being so pushy, having thought about her words over the strained silence. You told her it was okay, and that you were looking forward to seeing them again.</p><p>Back on the taxi heading toward town, you started thinking about it. Did he really not think about getting married one day? You were kind of hoping that eventually you would. Not soon, but eventually.</p><p>“Don’t worry about my mom,” Henry said, taking your hand. “She has that mom habit of not knowing when to stop.”</p><p>“No, it’s totally fine, she just caught me off guard, is all,” You replied.</p><p>“You sure you’re okay?” He asked, tilting his head down a bit to look at your face. “You seem bothered by something.”</p><p>“It’s just…” You tried to think of a way to phrase it that wouldn’t spook him but failed. “No, it’s nothing really.”</p><p>“No, no,” He said, bumping your shoulder with his lightly. “Come on, I know there’s something on your mind. I’m your best friend, right? You can tell me anything.”</p><p>You sighed. “Are you really not thinking about marriage at all? I don’t mean right now or anything, but like in the future? Maybe a few years from now?”</p><p>“Well…,” He began, his brow furrowing. “I mean, yeah, of course I am. I’ve been thinking about marrying you since before we ever met. But our relationship is new and I didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on you. And we’re opening a new shop! Who knows how long it’ll be before the chaos of that subsides long enough for us to even begin to plan a wedding? It could genuinely be years.”</p><p>“So… it’s a possibility, then?”</p><p>“More than a possibility, I’d say,” He said with a gentle smile. “But we need time to feel this out. Just because we love each other is no reason to rush into something we aren’t necessarily prepared for, you know? Marriage is… a lot.”</p><p>You nodded. “Yeah. And I agree with you, but I was just worried that you weren’t even considering it.”</p><p>“Well, don’t worry. It’s definitely on my mind.”</p><p>“Good.” You laid your head on his shoulder, linking your arm with his. “Do we still have ice cream at home?”</p><p>“Nope, I ate it earlier.”</p><p>“Boo, you suck.”</p><p>He chuckled. “We’ll stop at the store on the way home. Mint chocolate chip and some cookies?”</p><p>“You know me so well.” You raise your head and puckered your lips, and he bent down to kiss you.</p><p>“I do think that before we start talking seriously about marriage or anything like that, I want to stop camming.”</p><p>“Why’s that?”</p><p>“Well, when I got into it, I never intended to be a career, it was just a side job to help me pay bills. It’s fun and I like it, but I don’t want to do it forever. There is a risk to it, and I worry that you might be affected by it, and I don’t want that.”</p><p>“Risk?”</p><p>“Yeah. In fact, I think I’m going to end the camming early this year. I’m booked through the month, but I think I’ll make a post tonight saying that I’m going offline for the season. We’re going to be run ragged getting the new place set up. Some people will be upset about it, but they can deal with it.”</p><p>“People will be mad?” You asked. The taxi stopped and he took your hand, escorting you out and down the sidewalk toward the small store near your home.</p><p>“Yeah,” He said. “A lot of people get that I have a normal life outside of my side job, but some people can be obsessive. Usually, they just wait until next season opens up and book all of my openings they can afford, but some get personal. I block the ones that are too aggressive or start trying to get too close.”</p><p>“Too close?”</p><p>“Trying to find out who I am and where I live,” He replied.</p><p>“That happens?” You asked, alarmed.</p><p>“It’s only happened twice. One of them got the hint when I got angry and I didn’t hear from them again. The second one I had to call the police on. I still have a restraining order out against her.”</p><p>“Jesus,” You responded. “I didn’t realize it was so… dangerous.”</p><p>“It usually isn’t,” He said off-handedly. “That’s the beauty of anonymity and the internet. But I am a rare breed, so it’s easy for people to match my face in real life if they really dig. I mean, you did, right? I have a VPN and pretty hardcore protections on my computer that prevent hacking it remotely, but people can be persistent.”</p><p>“That’s… scary,” You said, frowning.</p><p>“Don’t worry,” He said, flexing his arms and stomach muscles. “I can handle just about anything.”</p><p>“Just about,” You echoed under your breath, and followed him into the store.</p>
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